Essamaye

Bignona had waited 16 years for a side in Ligue 2, and in 2024 Gazelles FC de Bignona ended that wait. The club was only eight years old. It had been founded in 2016, reached National 2 in 2021, and moved up again once the second tier opened to it.

The year before, in 2023, the Gazelles had gone to a cup final. They played Africa Foot in the Coupe du Haut Conseil des Collectivités Territoriales (the HCCT Cup) and lost 1-0. That remains the closest the club has come to a national trophy.

In March 2025 the name changed. Gazelles FC de Bignona became Essamaye, a Diola word that means both "panther" and "warrior". The club now carries the name of Ziguinchor, and it plays at the Stade Aline Sitoé Diatta, which holds 10,000. Its colours are green and white.

The new name won its first title within a season. Essamaye won Ligue 2 in 2025-26 and, for the first time in the club's history, earned promotion to Ligue 1.

Ligue 1 arrives under a Diola name, but the club began as the team of Bignona, and its climb started there.